Ben Millspaugh Advances to State Poetry Out Loud Competition

On February 10th, Ben Millspaugh was named one of five finalists at the Poetry Out Loud Southern Maine Regional Competition at City Theater in Biddeford.

Twenty-one school winners participated in two rounds, reciting poems from poets as diverse as Jimmy Santiago Baca to John Keats, from Toi Derricotte to Emily Dickinson. At the end of the second round judges tabulated scores and announced the ten semi-finalists who completed the third round of recitations. After that third round the five finalists were announced.

Ben, who won Waynflete’s school competition on Janurary 5, delivered masterful recitations of “Gravelly Run” by A. R. Ammons, “Youth” by James Wright and “Thoughtless Cruelty” by Charles Lamb. Besides Ben representing Waynflete, the five finalists from Southern Maine are: Shiloh Munsen from Freeport High School, Rose Horowitz from Mt. Ararat High School, Sylvia Holland from Maine Coast Waldorf School, and Charlotte Benoit from Greely High School.

The Maine State Finals will be held on March 15, 2016 at the Waterville Opera House, 93 Main Street, Waterville. The snow date is March 16, 2016. Doors open to the public at 2:30 p.m. and the event begins at 3:00 p.m. No tickets are required. The event is free and all are welcome to attend.